The book was Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving ... Calcifer reminds me of the genie in Aladdin in his quest for independence. And the wizard Howl himself has a lot of growing-up to do, especially ...

These moments paint Howl as a man-child in the book, making his eventual growth ... a spell and sent off with the purpose of rescuing a wizard, Ben Solomon, who was captured by the Witch of ...